Workshops

Come high water, come hot hell,
this is where I’ll stay!

And the wind has started blowing
I see the storm clouds black
The alligators are swimming downtown
they don't obey the traffic-signals
I think they don't give a jack
Where do the pelicans go
when the waters all turn brown?
I'll bet they all are hungry
they can't see to eat the little fish
I'm listening for the sound of
golfers at Key Margo, trumping
each other, lying about strokes
of lightning, here it comes!

And it arrived in waves as I thought
How peaceful the yellow, red and purple sunsets are
How still the sea is normally at these times
And at the same time I became fearsome as
Water is merciless and deadly
To die by water is no poetic ending to life
I can’t allow my life to end washed up on shore
With the dead debris from the coastline
Horrified I became frantic, just as the weather
Hit me in the face

Sputtering and splashing
Fighting to keep myself afloat
Violent shards of blue and green
Driving me under, losing sight of the boat

Sinking downward
Oxygen escapes my lungs
This can't be how it ends
My head hits something hard
I was then fished out of the water
Grasping in my hand this tome that hit my head
These words were written inside
“I felt the loud silence, the stillness in the air
In the streets, the little boy ran to his mother
And yelled, “ Look Mama the water is rising, shouldn’t we tell Papa.”
“Aye son, run quickly inside and fetch Papa, the sea is upon us it’s a tsunami”
The wind refused to blow, long before the water covered everything including the secrets of the house
In that minute I know our sorrows were upon us, if only we had known
Yet we are a family of strength, this house holds years of memories,
And will withstand another century of darkness
Come high water no ifs and or buts, this house is my strong tower our family will survive”

Our strength prevails against the turning tides,
Screams, gasps and fear,
A giant wave crashes on the roof,
I brace myself for impact,
It never comes,
Silence as I fear this is not the end,
Hours and the water returns from where it came,
I embrace my family who were the strength,
That helped me get through the fear,
Destruction all around outside,
People injured, scared and homeless,
Now we must come together,
So we don’t again drown,
To show that the the biggest wave cannot take us down.